Mudgee Miniature Railway
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www.railmotorsociety.org.au www.railmotorsociety.org.au Paterson Points NEWSLETTER OF THE RAIL MOTOR SOCIETY INCORPORATED MARCH 2015 Patron: RearPatron: Admiral Sinclair Peter AC PRINT POST APPROVED PP100003904 SOCIETY NEWS Annual General Meeting Changed your address Members are advised that this important meeting will be held on If the details on the address label on your newsletter are incorrect, Saturday 11th April 2015 commencing at 1000 hrs, the formal meeting please advise the Secretary as soon as possible. notice and associated forms are included with this newsletter. Donations Proxy Forms must be lodged with the Hon. Secretary 24 hours before The Society wishes to acknowledge and thank those members who the meeting. have recently made generous donations towards various projects. Election of Six Board Members Please remember that the ATO has approved the Society issuing receipts for gifts/donations (not testamentary) which will be allowable In accordance with the Constitution, the following six members of the deductions for income tax purposes. Board will retire in rotation but will be eligible for re-election should they decide to nominate again; Bruce Agland, Arthur Burgess, Bryan Hicks, Stafford Payne, Beverley Redman and John Redman. Operations Report The Election of Officers will take place at a Board meeting following – Bruce Agland, Operations Manager the Annual General Meeting. Operations for 2015 8-9 January Junee (402), ARTC Membership Renewals 9-19 January Coffs Harbour (CPH), Centenary Committee Members are advised that your membership subscription for 2015 that was due on 1st January is now OVERDUE. Unfinancial members are not 18 January Moss Vale/Kiama (620), ARHS eligible to vote at the Annual General Meeting. 24 January Tamworth (620), Maitland Rotary New Members 21 March Metro & South West Rail Link, ARHS 18 April Hawkesbury River (620), Mudgee Miniature Malcolm Webber of Hallidays Point; Neil Manson of Sandy Beach; Virginia Smith of Newcastle and Patrick Ling of Budgewoi are Railway (Booking form enclosed) welcomed to the Society. 18-19 April Steamfest (CPH) 30 May Hawkesbury River (CPH), Private Charter Work Days 6-9 June Griffith and Naradhan (620), ARHS Regular work days are usually held each Wednesday, volunteers are (Booking form enclosed) always welcome. If you are not a regular volunteer at the Depot and would like to participate, contact the Secretary for further information 25 October Murrurundi (620), Rotary (see Directory below). 14-15 November Gulgong (CPH), Mudgee Miniature Railway FRONT COVER: In addition to the shuttle trips over Red Hill CPHs 1, 3 and 7 also ventured south of Coffs Harbour as pictured here running between Boambee Beach and Sawtell. (Photo: Scott Schache) DIRECTORY The Rail Motor Society Incorporated Secretary Editor (Publications) Depot & Museum Bryan Hicks Geoff Murray Webbers Creek Road, Phone/Fax: 02 4954 4904 1/10 Seaspray Close Paterson NSW 2421 Email: [email protected] Caves Beach NSW 2281 Caretaker: 02 4938 5411 Treasurer Phone: 02 4971 4114 President John Redman Email: [email protected] Arthur Burgess Phone: 02 4948 8769 Assistant Editor Phone: 02 4959 6409 Email: [email protected] Stephen Preston Email: [email protected] Operations Manager Phone: 0407 016 133 Vice President Bruce Agland Email: [email protected] Rodney Short Phone/Fax: 02 4996 4666 Contributions of articles and/or photographs Phone: 02 4932 6867 Mobile: 0416 224 531 for future editions of Paterson Points and The Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Tin Hare Gazette are most welcome and may Engineering Manager (Infrastructure) Engineering Manager be forwarded directly to the Editor. and Train Crewing Manager (Rolling Stock) Correspondence to be addressed to: Eric Larkins Stafford Payne The Secretary Phone: 02 4966 1549 Phone: 02 4948 8521 PO Box 445 Email: [email protected] Charlestown NSW 2290 PAGE 2 Paterson Points SOCIETY NEWS Mechanical Report HPC 402 is currently having its radiators removed from the roof for repairs and cleaning, there are eight panels measuring two metres – Bryan Hicks long and 800mm wide each containing fifty cooling tubes. The copper CPH 3 Following 10 days of successful operations CPH 3 suffered finned cooling tubes are held in with brass fittings either end with final drive problems at Coffs Harbour on the last day of its January special heat resistant Viton “O” rings for sealing. The repairs means charter trips. Luckily the crew managed to get her back to the depot at that 800 brass fittings have to be removed and the same number of Paterson without incident where investigations were carried out. “O” rings replaced, a very tedious and lengthy process, the panels are It was found that the selector fork, located in the final drive that also extremely heavy to remove from the roof. engages one of the two crown wheels for changing the vehicle’s direction had sheared off. Fortunately the final drive had jammed in the direction of home, which enabled all three CPH’s to power all the way back to Paterson. The fork is controlled by two pneumatic pistons that are located in a housing either side of the fork. The shaft on the fork that sheared off was 2” x 1” and made of cast steel. It appears that there must have been a fault in the original casting that lasted many years but finally failed. As we did not have a spare CPH fork, an investigation revealed that the selector fork used in the 600 Class final drive was the same, even though the housings were different. A spare 600 unit was available and it was promptly dismantled and the fork removed and inspected. The broken nature of CPH 3’s crown wheel fork is clearly evident in this picture taken upon return to Paterson. (Photo: Bruce Agland) A removed radiator panel lays on the work bench awaiting attention. The cylinders in the old unit were honed, new rubber cups fitted, new (Photo: SG Preston) gaskets made and assembled. The unit was bench tested on air and found to be working perfectly so it was replaced into CPH 3 and is now working OK. A further inspection of CPH 3 revealed that the case hardened pins out of a toggle in the torque convertor had worked their way out causing it to lock up in the convertor position. The function of the toggles is to lock the transmission into neutral, convertor or direct drive. They are made of brass with a heavy internal spring and with a long tension adjusting bolt through the centre. The case hardened pins are pressed in either side and swivel in brackets which are bolted onto the outer pressure plate. On top of the toggle is a steel wheel that runs on a V-shaped arm which over-centres locking the convertor into the selected position. To remove these units the fitter has to lay on the hatch cover on his stomach head down and work through a 100mm square hole in the top of the convertor. Not the best of jobs! The driving bogie on CPH 3 also has a spring which will have to Removal of the radiator elements from 402’s roof will also support maintenance removed and it is planned that both the springs be tested with a force and recoating of the roof structure and fittings. gauge for deflection. (Photo: SG Preston) March 2015 PAGE 3 SOCIETY NEWS 721 gets a make-over With time available between traffic commitments the opportunity was taken to refresh the driving end of 721 and some other areas where the finish had deteriorated. Following preparation, masking and priming works a fresh coat of red was applied to provide a revitalised finish. Masked and half primed, 721 is seen undergoing its “Macfarlane Makeover” at Paterson. (Photo: Bruce Gehrig) The overhaul of 402’s radiators requires 800 of these radiator connections to be undone and the seals replaced before reinstallation. (Photo: SG Preston) 620/720 PA System and Intercom Works on the installation of the PA and crew intercom systems in NPF 621/NTC 721 is proceeding well lead by Bruce Agland. The work After a brief drying period Pete peels off the masking to reveal 721’s untouched cream whisker lining hidden beneath the tape and top coat. (Photo: Bruce Gehrig) completed to date includes the installation of: • Over sixty metres of wiring and conduit • Twenty two junction boxes • Eight speakers Shed Works Progress – Bruce Kingsford • Four intercom handsets Since September of last year I have managed two major tasks on the Work is currently in hand for the installation of jumper connections on rail motor shed at Paterson. both cars and also the manufacture of a jumper cable. 1. Replacement of four shed end columns. Works to be completed include: 2. A two bay extension to the shed on the southern end. • Termination of cables in the junction boxes • Installation of power supplies The replacement of end columns for the shed started in September • Installation of the amplifier and wireless microphone and was completed in November. The four columns were replaced due to corrosion at their bases. Refer to the previous edition of • Commissioning of the PA system and operational training Paterson Points for photos and more detail of this work. The shed extension works commenced on the 22nd November and PAGE 4 Paterson Points SOCIETY NEWS the rafters and majority of the steelwork is now in place. As at the 26th February, three more work days were required to complete the final fixing of the frame of the second bay. With the frame works completed on 7th March, efforts are now focussed on the roof and wall sheeting installation. This task requires a minimum of two people. If you are able to assist please be in contact.